The Development of a Formal Emergency Response Team for a Populous University Clean Room in a Dense Urban Setting

Abstract

A campus-based emergency response team can greatly augment the overall safety infrastructure of a university cleanroom. Here we present the components needed to develop an effective emergency response team capable of responding to emergencies that may occur within Harvard University's Center for Nano-scale Systems clean room facility (a site specific emergency response team). A team has been formed with at least 8 members, most cleanroom personnel, and this group meets monthly to train for toxic gas releases and hazardous liquid spills. The training ranges from fit-testing respirators, to donning Level B emergency response suits, to participation in mock drills with leaders from the local fire department. Here we discuss the following: 1. Describe the reasons for choosing to have a formal emergency response team comprised of personnel from the clean room staff. 2. A description of the facility and its hazards, including a description of the toxic gas monitoring system and how it is used during emergencies. 3. Describe the members of this site-specific emergency response team (ERT) and their roles and limitations during toxic gas related emergencies. 4. Describe the level and frequency of training the members of this ERT receive. 5. Describe the other campus resources that support the ERT during emergencies and describe their roles. 6. Explain the importance of building a solid working relationship with the local fire department. Describe the alignment of the responsibilities of the campus ERT and the local department during a toxic gas related alarm. 7. Describe essential emergency response equipment will be reviewed including fixed camera systems to a variety of reliable portable gas detectors and the importance of having a reliable preventive maintenance program for these portable gas detectors. 8. Present an example scenario and describe how a silane gas leak might be handled. The time commitment and cost to maintain a site-specific emergency response team for a university clean room are not insignificant. However, we show that there are benefits from having a site-specific team ready to work with the local fire department during an actual event.